Electric hookups could mean end to idling semis overnight

Alternative will allow drivers to sleep in comfort at truck stops without burning diesel

By Toby Van Fleet

The Portland Tribune, Jul 23, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (7 Reader comments)

If you’ve ever pulled into a truck stop late at night, you have endured the roar – and the fumes – from semis that idle all night long, while their drivers sleep inside.

Besides the noise and smell, these trucks – which are using diesel fuel to keep drivers’ cabs at a comfortable temperature – are emitting thousands of tons of carbon dioxide into the air.

It is widely believed that such emissions are a principal cause of the climate change the planet is currently undergoing. And with the science in, Oregon’s state and local governments are stepping up to attack global warming by reducing those emissions.

One Portland truck stop will be assisting in that effort. On an average night, more than 300 truck drivers camp out at Jubitz Travel Center (10210 N. Vancouver Way, 503-283-1111, www.jubitztravelcenter.com). The truck stop, just south of Hayden Island, is installing 34 electrical ports to provide an alternative to diesel fuel to power to the idling trucks.

The switch is part of a project, initiated by Gov. Ted Kulongoski, that will provide 160 electricity-powered parking spaces at truck stops along Oregon’s Interstate 5 corridor. The truckers will be charged about a dollar an hour for electricity.

Since there are more than 2,000 semi parking spaces along the corridor, the initial dent in emissions will not be that impressive. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality estimates that the use of all 160 ports would result in a reduction of about 8,000 tons of emitted carbon dioxide each year. According to reports from 2000, the state sees an estimated total of some 57 million metric tons of CO2 emissions annually.

But DEQ officials say it’s a start. They expect the practice to spread, eventually being used not just to maintain the comfort of the drivers, but also to power the massive diesel motors that keep refrigerated cargo cold.

– Toby Van Fleet

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